Hasp seal



Ja n. l8, 1938. v E. DIETZE I 2,105,524.

HASP SEAL.

Filed May 7, 1957 INVENT OR.

wwwmj ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT HASP SEAL tion, Brooklyn, N. York Y., a, corporation of New Application May 7, 1937, Serial No. 141,261

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in seals for preventing unauthorized opening of boxes or receptacles the covers of which are fastened in closed position by means of cooperating hasp and staple elements.

Seals of the kind mentioned are applied through the staple to overlie the outer face of the hasp through which the staple projects. The seal is usually made of generally circular but discontinuous conformation, and is provided at one side with a permanent lateral enlargement of a width exceeding the internal dimensions of the staple opening, and at the other side with a deformable portion initially of a width sized to readily pass through the staple opening, but adapted to be deformed or laterally enlarged by a suitable tool or press, after it is passed through the staple opening, so that its width is increased to a dimension exceeding the internal dimensions of the staple opening, whereby it cannot be drawn back through the latter and thus disengaged from sealing relation to the engaged hasp and staple. Seals of this type are expected, when once operatively applied to an assembled staple and hasp fastening means, not to be removable except by breaking and thus destroying the same, whereby, when once removed, the same cannot be again used.

It has been found that in some instances seals of the kind above described can be violated by bending and folding or doubling the same upon themselves without removing them from the staple, and thereupon forcing the doubled or folded together portions through the slot of the hasp element by prying the latter off of the staple and over the doubled or folded seal parts. Under such circumstances the receptacle could be surreptitiously opened, its content stolen,

over the doubled or folded seal and onto the staple again, and the seal thereafter be unfolded and flattened back to normal initial shape, so that little evidence of the tampering would appear, and might easily be overlooked .unless a very critical inspection and examination of the seal were made.

It is'an object of the present invention to provide a seal of the general type andkind above described, but so improved in form andstructure that adequate safeguards against tampering and possible violation by folding or doubling or like surreptitious manipulation is afforded, while yet retaining all the advantages of ease of initial application, simplicity of form and like advantages by which seals of this general kind commend themselves in use.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view, Fig. 2 a top edge view, and Fig. 3 is a side edge view of a hasp seal made according to the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the hasp and staple portions of receptacle to which the novel seal of this invention has been applied and impressed; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of such assembly.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation similar to that of Fig. 5 but showing the seal doubled or folded on itself with its parts back to back, this view illustrating the futility of this method of manipulation in attempting to violate the seal by forcing the slot of the hasp thereover; and Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the seal doubled or folded on itself with its parts face to face, this view showing the futility of such method of manipulation in attempting to violate the seal by forcing the slot of the hasp thereover.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawing, the reference character I indicates a receptacle having a forwardly projecting staple 2. The open top of the receptacle is closed by a cover 3 with which is suitably connected a hasp 4, the latter having a slot 5 to engage over the staple when the cover is closed and secured. The receptacle and cover with the cooperating staple and hasp elements, as shown, is merely illustrative of one of many forms thereof to which the seal of the present invention may be applied, and consequently is subject to considerable variations as to specific construction and as to the use to which it may be put, and as to devices with which it may be associated.

The seal of this invention is applied to the staple and hasp elements to prevent unauthorized separation thereof and consequent opening of the receptacle for unauthorized access thereto. The seal device is used in place of a padlock, cross-pin or like means usually employed to secure the staple and hasp against separation.

In an illustrative and preferred form thereof, the seal according to this invention comprises a unitary body formed from sheet metal, e. g.

.ceeding the size of the eye of staple 2.

- staple.

steel, and is of substantially circular but discontinuous form so that a gap is provided between opposed terminal portions l and 8 thereof.

The gap 6 is of sufficient width to permit inward passage therethrough of a leg of the staple 2, whereby the seal may be inserted through the eye of said staple so as to hang therefrom. At a point diametrically opposite the gap 6 the seal body is provided with a reduced or weakened portion 9 formed by an internal indentation or notch H3. Extending in opposite directions from said weakened portion 9 are the substantially semi-circular arms H and I2 of the seal body. The arm 8! is so shaped, initially, as to possess a concavo-convex shape in cross section at the portion l3 thereof lying between the weakened portion 9 and the terminal portion "1.. Said arm ll, as thus formed, is of an initialuniform width throughout its extent somewhat less in dimension than the size of the eye of staple 2. The arm (2 is preferably uniformly flat throughout its extent, but is provided intermediate the weakened portion 9 and the terminal 8 with an outwardly extending laterally widened part forming a stop-portion It of 'a width ex- Integrally formed in connection with the inner curved margin of said arm E2, to stand upright or at right angles to the face plane of the latter, is a general flange 95. Preferably this guard flange is widened at its inner end to form a laterally projecting stop-nosing is adjacent to such inner end, and the end itself provides a stop shoulder ll transverse to the plane of the seal. Said guard flange i5 preferably tapers from its inner end toward its outer end, although thisis not essential.

In applying the seal to the receptacle, after the hasp is engaged over the staple 2, the arm H is inserted through the eye of the staple, whereby the seal is suspended from the latter with one arm, as l I, depending at one side of the staple, and the other arm, as 12, depending from the opposite side of the staple (see Fig. 5).

After the seal is thus inserted through the staple 2 exteriorly of the hasp 3, a suitable press is applied to the concave-convex section It of the arm M, and by the press action a portion of said concave-convex section it is crushed down or deformed so as to be flattened and widened out, as shown at is in Fig. 5. The flattened and widened part 58 provides a stop-section, the width of which exceeds the internal sizeof the eye of the staple, and consequently obstructs any attempt to withdraw the seal arm I l back through the staple eye so as to remove the seal from the The stop-portion i t formed in connection with seal arm 82, being wider than the internal size of the staple eye, inlike manner obstructs any attempt to draw outwardly from the staple eye said seal arm l2, thus preventing removal of the attached seal in such manner.

As hereinbefore stated, it has been attempted to violate seals of the general type here involved, by bending and folding together the two semicircular arm parts thereof, and then prying up the hasp in such manner as to force the slot 5 of the latter over the thus folded arm parts, thus freeing the hasp from the staple. Attempts to so violate the seal of the instant invention will be quickly frustrated, as will be obvious from an arms, and consequently such an attempt to violate the seal will be fruitless. On the other hand, if the seal arms are folded together so as to bring the same face to face, the stop-nosing I6 of the guard flange l5 associated with the arm IE will abut the inward part of the concaveconveX portion it of the arm H so as to obstruct and prevent the meeting of the front faces of said arms, and consequently the width of the formation will not be reduced sufficiently to allow the slot 5 of the hasp to be stripped thereover (see Fig. 8) and consequently such attempt to violate the seal will likewise be frustrated. Owing to the fact that the guard flange I5 is curvilinear in vertical plane, since it projects from the inner and substantially semi-circular margin of the arm} l2, it is quite impossible to flattendown the same smoothly into the plane of the seal body, and

consequently such method of attempting to bring the seal arms in flat folded together relation cannot be successfully resorted to.

When it is desired, by an authorized person, to open the receptacle which is guarded by the seal, the arms 5 i and I2 are grasped and spread apart, and the seal so manipulated as to break the arms apart at the weakened central'portion 9 between the arms. This not only removes the seal, but destroys it so that it cannot be used 'again. When the receptacle is again closed and secured, a new seal must therefore be applied in guarding relation to the staple and hasp.

Having now described my present invention, I

claim:- 7

1. A seal for extension through a staple and. exteriorly of a slotted hasp closed over said staple comprising, a body having arms extending in a;

common plane but in opposite directions from an intermediate portion thereof, one of said arms having an outwardly extending widened section in the plane thereof to prevent passage of said arm through the staple eye, the other of said,

portion to prevent retraction thereof through the,

staple eye, and said first mentioned arm having a guard flange extending along its inner margin and projecting angularly from the plane .of said arm.

2. A seal as defined in claim 1 wherein said guard flange terminates at one end in a stop shoulder disposed adjacent to the intermediate portion of said seal body, said stop shoulder exceeding in dimension the width of the hasp slot.

3. A seal as defined in claim 1, wherein said guard flange terminates at one end in a stop shoulder disposed adjacent to the intermediate portion of said seal body, and said flange having an outwardly projecting stop-nosing. at the juncture of its free edge and said stop shoulder.

1 'EMIL DIETZE. 

